Real Sports
May
08
Complete List of Winners for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards
Let’s go over the entire list of those who won hardware in the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. The awards were handed out at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York.
Overall, NBC Sports Group has reason to crow with 23 Emmys, the most of any sports media group. Turner Sports was next with 7 followed by HBO with 6. The ESPN Family of Networks received five awards and MLB Network had three. The CBS consortium, Fox Sports Media Group and NFL Network won two and YouTube got one Emmy.
The entire list is below. It’s a long list so I give a jump break on the main page. Get ready to scroll for a while.
May
07
HBO Sports Wins Six Sports Emmys
This from HBO Sports. The network has taken home six Emmys for its product. Three were in conjunction with NFL Films, two were for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and there was a single award for the 24/7 series.
Here’s the press release from HBO Sports.
Winners were revealed tonight at the 34th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards in New York City.
HBO collected six Sports Emmys Awards. The second most of any single network.
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel received two Sports Emmy Awards tonight and has now been honored with 25 Sports Emmy Awards in the program’s history.
The “24/7” reality franchise took home the trophy for Outstanding Editing for the fifth consecutive year.
The Hard Knocks franchise also captured a Sports Emmy for its series featuring the Miami Dolphins.
The Outstanding Sports Documentary Emmy for NAMATH marks the seventh time HBO has captured the award, and the fifth time in the past six years.
Below are the six Sports Emmy Award wins for HBO:
OUTSTANDING SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
NAMATH (with NFL FILMS)OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SERIES/ANTHOLOGY–
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBELOUTSTANDING LONG FEATURE
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL – Steve Gleason: Tragic Hero (Jon Frankel)
OUTSTANDING EDITING
24/7 PACQUIAO/MARQUEZ 4OUTSTANDING POST PRODUCED AUDIO/SOUND
HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE MIAMI DOLPHINSOUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION / DIRECTION / LYRICS
NAMATH (with NFL FILMS)HBO captured the second most of any single network:
NBC — 10
HBO — 6
NBC Sports Network — 4
ESPN — 3
MLB Network — 3
TBS — 3
TNT — 3For a complete list of wins go to www.emmyonline.org/sports
The 34th Sports Emmy Award winners were revealed May 7, 2013 in New York City at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner Center.
NBC will crow about its Sports Emmy Awards next.
May
07
34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Winners
The 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards were handed out tonight in New York at Frederick P. Rose Hall at the Time Warner Center.
Thanks to Josh Krulewitz, ESPN public relations maven, I can list the individual winners. I’ll have a full list from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tomorrow and I’ll post it when it becomes available.
First, no surprises in the talent categories. The usual suspects won, Costas, Collinsworth, Barkley and Al Michaels is back for play-by-play, his sixth Emmy.
If you want to see the nominations in full, you can go here.
I’ll go in the order the awards were handed out.
The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award – Games of the XXX Olympiad: The Multi-Screen Olympics, NBC/Bravo/CNBC/MSNBC/NBC Sports Network/NBCOlympics.com/Telemundo
Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound – NASCAR on Fox, Fox
Outstanding Production Design/Art Direction – NCAA March Madness: Brackets Everywhere, truTV
Outstanding Studio Show Weekly – Inside the NFL, Showtime/CBS Sports/NFL Films
Outstanding Long Feature – Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: Steve Gleason: Tragic Hero, HBO
Outstanding Editing – 24/7: Pacquaio-Marquez 4, HBO
Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement, Episodic – A Football Live: Life Story, NFL Network/NFL Films
Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Reporter – (TIE) Pierre McGuire, NBC (why?) and Tom Verducci, MLB Network/TBS
Outstanding Graphic Design – MLB Network Division Series: The Scrapbook, MLB Network
Outstanding Sports Documentary – Namath, HBO
Outstanding Technical Team Studio – Games of the XXX Olympiad, NBC/Bravo/MSNBC/NBC Sports Network/Telemundo
Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming Short Format – Sport Science, ESPN/Base Productions
Outstanding Playoff Coverage – (TIE) National League Championship Series: Cardinals vs. Giants, Fox and NBA Playoffs, TNT
Outstanding Camera Work – Outside the Lines: Breaking the Silence, ESPN
Outstanding Edited Sports Special – One Heartbeat, CBS Sports Network/CBS Sports
Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics – Namath, HBO/NFL Films
Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement, Institutional – (TIE) It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports: Shake On It, The Name, Born Into It — ESPN/Wieden & Kennedy and NCAA March Madness: Brackets Everywhere, TBS/CBS/TNT/truTV
Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play – Al Michaels, NBC
Outstanding New Approaches Sports Event Coverage – Red Bull Stratos: Space Jump, YouTube/Red Bull Media House
Outstanding Open/Tease – NBA on TNT: All-Star Game Tease, TNT
Outstanding Post Produced Audio/Sound – Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins, HBO/NFL Films
Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst – Cris Collinsworth, NBC
The Dick Schaap Writing Award – Games of the XXX Olympiad: Measure & Motion, NBC
Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming – Games of the XXX Olympiad: Countdown to London, NBCOlympics.com
Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology – Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, HBO
Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Analyst – Charles Barkley, TNT
Outstanding Sports Journalism – E:60: Beitar Jerusalem, ESPN2
Outstanding Technical Team Remote – Winter X Games 2012, ESPN 3D
Outstanding Short Feature – NFL GameDay Morning: Immaculate Remembrance, NFL Network
Outstanding Live Sports Series – Sunday Night Football, NBC
Outstanding Studio Show, Daily – MLB Tonight, MLB Network
Outstanding Live Event Turnaround – Games of the XXX Olympiad, NBC
Outstanding Live Sports Special – Super Bowl XLVI, NBC
Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host – Bob Costas (who else?), NBC/NBC Sports Network
The network press releases crowing about their Sports Emmy wins are trickling in. I’ll post them in order of their arrival into the Fang’s Bites inbox.
Mar
20
34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Nominations Announced
Just received this from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the full press release of the nominations for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards.
NBC Sports Group received the most nominations with 58 followed by ESPN with 43 and Turner in third with 27.
Bob Costas was nominated yet again for Outstanding Studio Host along with Dan Patrick, James Brown, Ernie Johnson and Rich Eisen.
There were only four nominees for Outstanding Play-by-play, Mike Breen, Mike Emrick, Al Michaels and Jim Nantz.
Cris Collinsworth received another nomination for Outstanding Event Analyst. He’s joined by Ato Boldon of NBC Olympics, Jon Gruden, Jim Kaat and Mike Mayock.
Studio Analyst was full with Charles Barkley of TNT, Tony Dungy of NBC’s Football Night in America, CBS’ Boomer Esiason, MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken also from MLB Network and Kurt Warner of NFL Network.
Let us take a look at the full list. We need a jump break in here as well. Let’s go. Lots of things to read through. Get ready to scroll.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 34th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS
Winners to be Honored During the May 7th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
New York, NY – March 20, 2013 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.
More than 170 nominees were announced in 34 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst. The Awards will be given out at the prestigious Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center located in the Time Warner Center on Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 in New York City.
“What a world we live in,” said Malachy Wienges, Chair, NATAS. “The Olympics, NASCAR, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the World Series, The Stanley Cup, The NBA, the US Open, the Masters…it just goes on and on! This is another outstanding year for the sports community and for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The entries received in this year’s Sports Emmy Awards illustrate the high-water mark of quality each of us gets to enjoy every time we turn on our favorite program. With so much talent vying for the prestigious Emmy Award and with many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities, and television professionals in attendance, it promises to be an exciting evening.”
The networks of NBC Sports Group (NBC, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel nbcolympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, nbcsports.com, & Telemundo) lead the nomination totals with 58, ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, grantland.com, ABC, ESPN3D, ESPNU & ESPNews), garnered 43, and Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NCAA.com & truTV) garnered 27. A complete list of all Networks and individual show nominations follows below.
A complete list of all nominees is attached and also available at www.emmyonline.tv/sports
34th Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network Group
Network or Network Group NominationsNBC Sports Group (NBC, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, nbcolympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, nbcsports.com, Telemundo) — 58
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, grantland.com, ABC, ESPN 3D, ESPNU, ESPNews) — 43
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, truTV, NCAA.com) — 27
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED, FOX Soccer Channel) — 17
HBO Sports — 17
NFL Network (NFL Network, NFL Media, NFL.com) — 16
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBS Sports Network) — 15
MLB Network — 9
DIRECTV — 1
YouTube — 134th Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network
NETWORK — NOMINATIONS
NBC — 36
ESPN — 23
HBO Sports — 17
FOX — 13
NFL Network — 13
TNT — 13
CBS — 10
ESPN2 — 10
MLB Network — 9
NBC Sports Network — 9
TBS — 5
NBA TV — 4
Showtime — 4
truTV — 4
grantland.com — 3
NBCOlympics.com — 3
Speed — 3
ABC — 2
Bravo — 2
ESPN3D — 2
ESPNU — 2
Golf Channel — 2
MSNBC — 2
NFL Media — 2
Telemundo — 2
CBS Sports Network — 1
CNBC — 1
DIRECTV — 1
ESPNews — 1
FOX Soccer Channel — 1
nbcsports.com — 1
NCAA.com — 1
NFL.com — 1
YouTube — 1BREAKDOWN OF MULTIPLE PROGRAM — SERIES NOMINATIONS
Program/Network/Nominations
Games of the XXX Olympiad (NBC/Bravo/CNBC/MSNBC/NBC SportsNetwork/NBCOlympics.com/Telemundo) — 14
NBA on TNT (TNT) — 6
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (TNT) — 6
E:60 (ESPN2) — 5
24/7 (HBO) — 4
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins (HBO) — 4
MLB on FOX (FOX) — 4
Outside the Lines (ESPN) — 4
Sunday Night Football (NBC) — 4
NASCAR on FOX (FOX) — 3
NFL Films Presents (NFL Network) — 3
30 for 30 (ESPN) — 2
A Football Life (NFL Network) — 2
College Gameday (ESPN) — 2
The Dream Team (NBA TV) — 2
Inside the NBA (NBA TV) — 2
Inside the NFL (Showtime) –2
MLB Network Division Series (MLB Network) — 2
MLB Tonight (MLB Network) — 2
Namath (HBO) — 2
NCAA March Madness (TBS) — 2
NFL on FOX (FOX) — 2
SportsCenter (ESPN) — 2
Sport Science (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNews) — 2
UEFA Euro 2012 (ESPN) — 2
The nominations are coming after a jump break.
(continue reading…)
Feb
19
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Commentary For The February 2013 Edition of Real Sports
Tonight, Bryant Gumbel talked about the downfall of another sports icon, Oscar Pistorius.
BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #191
AIRS TONIGHT (2/19) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT“Finally tonight, as last week’s tragic shooting in South Africa would suggest, the business of myth-making in sports isn’t going very well this year. Charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius is just the latest celebrated athlete to recently show that the was more flawed than fabulous.
Whether it’s Manti Te’o and his imaginary girlfriend, Lance Armstrong and his half-hearted apologies, the drug evasions of baseball’s Ryan Braun, or the endless alibis of basketball’s Dwight Howard, stars in a variety of sports in recent weeks have not only shown themselves to be less than perfect, but in many cases – far from decent.
While it’s tempting to believe the problem is simply that we know too much about our sports heroes nowadays, a bigger problem might well be that we demand too little of athletes before we deify them. Yes, the toys of modern media make it difficult to hide the flaws of even the best of people. But when you consider who’s being promoted, and why they’re being lionized, you get the feeling that the bar is often being set too low to begin with.
As a result, fans who routinely lead with their hearts are being ill-served by those eager to build a pedestal for people they barely know and rarely challenge. In the end, it may be simpler to see athletes as either heroes or villains. But as the adage holds, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future. I forget who first said that but I’m guessing it wasn’t a sports fan.”
There you have it.
Jan
22
On The Season Premiere of Real Sports, 01/22/2013
Tonight, the critically acclaimed Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns to HBO with three stories, two new ones and an update.
The two new stories include a profile of suspended Houston Rockets forward Royce White whom you may know has been in a dispute with his team since making demands over his fear of travel due to an anxiety disorder. It’s led to the Rockets suspending him over failure to perform to his contract.
And the other story is on Uncle Luke Campbell of the old group, 2 Live Crew. During the 1980′s and 1990′s, Campbell was a constant presence at the University of Miami’s football games. HBO Real Sports will take a look at his efforts to get underprivileged kids to college.
The final story is a repeat from 2011 which focuses on coaches Jim and John Harbaugh. Topical as both will be coaching in the Super Bowl next week.
Here’s the official press release from HBO.
PROFILES SUSPENDED HOUSTON ROCKETS ROOKIE ROYCE WHITE; CHRONICLES THE TRANSFORMATION OF AP LEGEND LUTHER CAMPBELL; AND REVISITS ITS INSIDE LOOK AT THE HARBAUGH FOOTBALL FAMILY WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JAN. 22, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBOEntering its 19th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, TV’s most honored sports journalism program, presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 190th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JAN. 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Jan. 22 (2:55 a.m.), 24 (5:30 p.m., 11:55 p.m.), 27 (8:00 a.m.) and 30 (noon, 8:00 p.m.), and Feb. 2 (10:00 a.m.), 5 (11:00 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), 7 (1:55 a.m.) and 16 (12:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 23 (5:00 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 26 (3:00 p.m.), 28 (2:35 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) and 31 (9:00 a.m.), and Feb. 4 (11:30 p.m.) and 10 (8:00 a.m.)
HBO On Demand® availability: Jan. 28-Feb. 18. The show will also be available on HBO GO®.
Segments include:
*Sidelined. Royce White, the 16th overall pick in last summer’s NBA draft, has yet to play for the Houston Rockets. The 6’ 8” power forward’s absence isn’t due to lackluster performance or injury, but an anxiety disorder that, among other things, makes air travel extremely difficult for him, something no NBA franchise has had to face before with such a high-profile individual. Determined to ensure that the club, league and players association accommodate his needs, the Minnesota native refused to report to the team last fall until a “mental health protocol” was prepared and signed by all parties. The situation reached a tipping point Jan. 6 when White was suspended for failing to perform his contract. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Houston to meet the engaging and thoughtful 21-year-old for his first TV interview since the controversy erupted. White details the depth of his anxiety disorder, how he copes with it and what he feels needs to be done to ensure he is provided a safe work environment.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*2 Live Crew to First and Ten. In the late 1980s, Luther Campbell, aka Uncle Luke, became a household name as frontman of the controversial rap group 2 Live Crew. In 2013, the Uncle Luke persona still exists, but he is an uncle of a different sort. Since the group broke up years ago, Campbell has embraced his role as a mentor to disadvantaged youth of Miami with hopes of guiding them to college and beyond. As Coach Luke, the 52-year-old helps raise boys from depressed neighborhoods as a high school football coach in Liberty City, his native Miami neighborhood. Campbell’s connection to the youth of Miami dates back to the height of his popularity, when he was a high-profile superfan for the University of Miami football team. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel visits South Florida to chronicle the rap legend’s extraordinary transformation as he shares stories of celebrity, community activism and goodwill.
Producer: Jordan Kronick.
*All in the Family. Manning. Griffey. Ripken. These are some of the multi-generational families in sports that are household names. But a new family is making history, not as players, but in coaching. The Harbaugh boys, John and Jim, have followed in their father’s footsteps and are the first brother act to serve simultaneously as head coaches in the NFL. Jack Harbaugh coached college football for 45 years and taught his only sons the ins-and-outs of the game from an early age. His eldest son, John, is the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach and has led the team to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons at the helm. Jim, after a successful NFL career as a quarterback, reenergized the Stanford University football program and was hired in January 2011 to take over the underachieving San Francisco 49ers. Correspondent Andrea Kremer joined the family on vacation in the summer of 2011 to find out what makes them tick and why they have so much to be thankful for. The Harbaugh brothers will meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 when the Ravens and 49’ers take the field at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Producers: Joe Perskie, Josh Fine.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In Jan. 2012, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. In April 2012, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
Join the conversation on Twitter using #RealSports.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Joe Perskie is senior producer.
That will do it.
Dec
18
Real Sports Reviews 2012 Tonight
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns on HBO tonight with its annual year in review. It will take a look at some of the year’s best stories with its correspondents, Mary Carillo, Frank Deford, Jon Frankel, Bernard Goldberg, Armen Keteyian and Andrea Kremer.
The show premieres at 10 p.m. ET and will be hosted as always by Bryant Gumbel. Let’s take a look at the show that will air tonight.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PRESENTS A ROUNDTABLE REVIEW OF 2012 WHEN IT RETURNS TUESDAY, DEC. 18, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL wraps its 18th season with a special roundtable review of 2012 when the show’s 189th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, DEC. 18 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 18 (4:00 a.m.), 22 (11:00 a.m.), 24 (12:10 a.m.), 27 (5:30 p.m.), 28 (10:30 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), 30 (7:30 a.m.) and 31 (3:00 p.m.), and Jan. 3 (8:00 p.m., 1:50 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 19 (8:00 a.m., 9:00 p.m.), 21 (7:00 p.m.), 26 (10:00 a.m.) and 29 (4:00 p.m.), and Jan. 2 (8:00 a.m., 11:55 p.m.), 6 (7:30 a.m.) and 8 (5:00 a.m.)
HBO On Demand® availability: Dec. 24-Jan. 14. The program will also be available on HBO GO®.
Departing from the show’s regular format, host Bryant Gumbel leads correspondents Mary Carillo, Frank Deford, Jon Frankel, Bernard Goldberg, Armen Keteyian and Andrea Kremer in a spirited roundtable discussion of 2012, touching on everything from favorite stories of the year to the interviews and segments that had the greatest impact on them.
In 2012, REAL SPORTS traveled the world to meet inspiring and memorable people, among them: Jeb Corliss, who jumped off Table Mountain in South Africa in a wing suit and barely survived a crash at more than 120 miles per hour; Alex Zanardi, the former Formula 1 driver who lost his legs in an accident, but never looked back and is now winning races of another kind; and Mark Miller, one of the only Americans competing in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the most dangerous motorcycle race in history, where more than 230 people have died over the years.
In an Olympic year, two stories spotlighted Olympians: U.S. hurdler Lolo Jones, who revealed that her efforts to remain a virgin were more difficult than training for the Games; and former Olympic gymnast Dominique Moceanu, who not long ago finally met her biggest fan – a sister she never knew she had.
REAL SPORTS also looked at big issues and controversies, covering: fan-on-fan violence, sometimes stemming from something as harmless as wearing the “wrong” jersey to a game; the widespread use of the painkiller Toradol in the NFL; and former NFL player Steve Gleason, who unwittingly found himself in the middle of the New Orleans Saints’ bountygate scandal, and today battles the devastating effects of ALS.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. In April, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; senior producer, Joe Perskie; senior coordinating producer, Nick Dolin; coordinating producer, Tim Walker; producers, Lisa Bennett, Maggie Burbank, Chapman Downes and Josh Fine; associate producers, Jake Rossenwasser, Beret Remak and Nisreen Habbaal; production associates, Max Gershberg, Naimah Jabali-Nash and Brett Teal.
That is all.
Nov
20
On The Next Real Sports, 11/20/2012
On HBO’s Real Sports coming up tonight at 10 ET, the Emmy Award-winning sports newsmagazine will have three stories. One will focus on the horrific story involving the son of former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth, Chancellor, who survived the tragic shooting of his mother and has carried on despite having cerebral palsy.
Another story will look at the role of concussions in college football and how it affects many players in the classroom.
And the last story will be an update on the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys training facility and how it has affected those injured.
We have a full synopsis from HBO Sports.
Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 188th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, NOV. 20 (10:00-11:00 p.m.ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Nov. 20 (2:55 a.m.), 21 (1:05 a.m.), 23 (10:45 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 25 (7:30 a.m.), 28 (10:00 a.m., 4:45 p.m.) and 30 (7:00 p.m., 3:20 a.m.), and Dec. 4 (2:30 p.m., midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Nov. 24 (3:30 p.m.), 27 (noon, 8:00 p.m.) and 29 (4:15 p.m.), and Dec. 2 (8:00 a.m.), 5 (11:55 a.m., 12:55 a.m.) and 11 (10:00 a.m., midnight)
HBO On Demand® availability: Nov. 26-Dec. 17
The show will also be available on HBO GO®.
Segments include:
* The Son Rises. Thirteen years ago, Cherica Adams was gunned down on a desolate Charlotte, NC road. Eight months pregnant at the time, she eventually died from gunshot wounds, but her son, Chancellor, miraculously survived. Shortly after the incident, investigators concluded that Adams’ boyfriend – Chancellor’s father – was the mastermind behind the shooting. That man was former Carolina Panthers wideout Rae Carruth, who is currently serving 18 to 24 years at a North Carolina correctional facility. Tragically, Chancellor was left with cerebral palsy as a result of being deprived of oxygen in utero as his mother lay dying. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, host Bryant Gumbel goes to Charlotte to revisit the tragedy that changed so many lives and provides a gripping account of how a young survivor has beaten the odds.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
* Think About Them. More than five years into the concussion crisis that plagues the American football landscape, everyone agrees on one thing: Fewer hits to the head is better for the health of the players. The NFL has drastically reduced the amount of time spent hitting in practice, intending to reduce collisions that can have lifetime impact; so has Pop Warner youth football, as well as many high schools nationwide. But one major sports organization has not: The NCAA. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg uncovers troubling new research suggesting that the amount of brain trauma suffered in college is rewiring the brains of some of these student-athletes, making it difficult to fulfill their primary role as a student. In this expanded segment, he asks the question: What does this mean for tens of thousands of student-athletes playing college football?
Producer: Josh Fine.
* Blue Star Fallen. In May 2009, during a routine rookie mini-camp, the Dallas Cowboys’ indoor practice facility in Irving, Tex. collapsed during a wind and rain storm, leaving special teams coach Joe DeCamillis with a broken neck and scout Rich Behm paralyzed from the waist down. REAL SPORTS’ Jan. 2010 examination of the incident, which was nominated for an Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism, presented accounts from DeCamillis and Behm, an engineer who worked on the facility, and the president of the company that built the faulty structure. Now, correspondent Frank Deford returns to Texas to see what has happened to the people who were injured and to the company.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, David Scott.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. In April, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Joe Perskie is senior producer.
HBO also provides another preview of its segment on NCAA football concussions.
Tonight on HBO’s Real Sports (10 p.m. ET/PT), the concussion issue at the collegiate level is explored. In an expanded segment, Correspondent Bernard Goldberg conducts a wide range of interviews on the hot-button subject, including visits with former players and researchers determined to make the sport safer for the young athletes participating.
Goldberg asks renowned Boston researchers Chris Nowinski and Dr. Robert Cantu the best way to minimize brain injuries?
FORMER HARVARD UNIVERSITY PLAYER CHRIS NOWINSKI: “Limiting hitting in practice. You could cut in half the exposure by limiting and monitoring hitting in practice. And that’s the only thing that is powerful, by a long shot.”
DR.ROBERT CANTU: “The majority of the hits to the head over a course of a season come from practice because you practice so much more than you play.”
In 2011 during the intense NFL labor negotiations, Domonique Foxworth, who played cornerback for Atlanta, Baltimore and Denver –and is now the president of the players union –delivered the message in no uncertain terms.
BERNIE GOLDBERG: “Was there that moment of ‘Did I hear you right? Did you say one contact practice a week?’”
DOMONIQUE FOXWORTH: “Their response was: ‘Our coaches aren’t going to go for that.’ But we made it very clear to the leadership of the NFL that we’re gonna write this policy to protect our players, and you’re gonna sign it, and accept it. And if you want to miss a season, then fuck with us on this issue.”After that other leagues changed their rules too. Pop Warner, the nationwide youth league, made deep cuts in the amount of contact practice allowed and many high schools did, too. But one league has remained a prominent exception: the NCAA.
DEREK OWENS, WHO PLAYED AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS: “You’re in shoulder pads and helmet, literally, every day except for the day before the game .”
BERNIE GOLDBERG: “You’re takin’ hits three or four times a week? You were having more contact practices than the guys in the pros do.”
DEREK OWENS: “Uh-huh.”
DOMONIQUE FOXWORTH: “I think that it’s more difficult to be a college football player in this day and age than it is to be an NFL player.”
BERNIE GOLDBERG: “Because?”
DOMONIQUE FOXWORTH: “The amounts of hits.”Real Sports filed open records requests for college football records…and spoke with coaches, players, and officials at the college and pro levels. By our math, college players are, on average, exposed to about 70% more hits to the head over the course of a year than NFL players.
I watched the segments for tonight. This is amazing journalism.
Oct
23
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Commentary on Real Sports Regarding Lance Armstrong
Another very good edition of Real Sports. And while the headline story was about Michael Strahan, the tales that moved me the most were ones on an Iowa City high school girls volleyball team overcoming double tragedy and an update on the late Steve Sabol of NFL Films. It’s another great program of storytelling by HBO Sports. It gets another A.
Once again, Bryant Gumbel used the very last segment for a closing comment. Tonight’s commentary was on Lance Armstrong. As you can imagine, Bryant doesn’t pull any punches.
“Finally tonight, congratulations to Oakley. Just yesterday the sunglasses, goggles and apparel company became the latest sponsor to cut ties with Lance Armstrong, the cyclist who for so long posed as a champion yet seems to have been little more than a liar, a cheater, a doper and a briber.
“Even though we’ve witnessed the disgrace of Pete Rose, the exposure of Tiger Woods and the incarceration of OJ, it’s hard to think we’ve ever seen any athlete in any era fall so hard so fast as Armstrong. The guy who bullied his way past any and all accusations for years while hiding behind his lawyers has now been understandably cowered into silence and, at last, officially stripped of all seven of those Tour de France titles that he conned so many into thinking he won, while pocketing millions in the process.
“While I can’t think of any single athlete more undeserving of empathy, I’m sure many will note the money he raised for cancer research and see him as simply a flawed hero. But in light of his cited patterns of deceptions, intimidation, and coercion, it’s hard not to see even his charity work as simply part of his con act. If the accusations of investigators are true, and by now there’s no intelligent reason to doubt they are, Lance Armstrong threatened his friends, bribed his foes, cheated his fans, and deceived his sponsors – all of whom thought he was one of a kind. Turns out there were right, he was one of a kind – the worst kind.
“And that’s our show for tonight. For all of the good folks here at Real Sports, I’m Bryant Gumbel. Thanks so much for being with us. Good night.”
No one is doing commentary as strong as Bryant. Yes, Bob Costas does the “Get off my lawn” commentaries on Sunday Night Football, but not as scathing as Bryant’s. I give this an A.
Oct
23
HBO’s Real Sports Returns Tonight, 10/23/12
We get three new stories and an update in the latest edition of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. It includes a profile of the multitasking Michael Strahan, flying to two different coasts, being part on two totally different shows.
There’s a look at a high school volleyball team that worked hard to repeat as champions despite their town getting hit hard by two tragedies.
And a look at gays in pro sports and why no one comes out while in uniform.
Plus, there’s an update on a Frank Deford story from 2007 on NFL Films.
Here’s what you’ll see on the latest edition of Real Sports.
SPOTLIGHTS IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL TEAM;
EXPLORES GAY ATHLETES’ RELUCTANCE TO COME OUT;
AND REVISITS THE TRAILBLAZING SABOL FAMILY THAT CREATED NFL FILMS WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS OCT. 23, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBONow in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 187th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, OCT. 23 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 23 (3:15 a.m.), 26 (10:30 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), 28 (9:00 a.m.) and 31 (5:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), and Nov. 3 (11:00 a.m.), 6 (7:00 p.m.), 9 (9:00 p.m.) and 13 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 24 (5:10 p.m., 1:05 a.m.) and 30 (12:25 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), and Nov. 2 (noon, 9:00 p.m.), 4 (7:30 a.m.), 10 (7:35 a.m.) and 14 (8:00 a.m.)
HBO On Demand® availability: Oct. 29-Nov. 19. The show will also be available on HBO GO®.
Segments include:
*Strahan TV. More than four years after he stopped chasing down quarterbacks for the New York Giants as a Hall-of-Fame caliber defensive end, Michael Strahan has found a new day job. The former Defensive Player of the Year is the new co-host of “LIVE with Kelly and Michael” in New York City, but still manages to spend his Sundays in Los Angeles analyzing the NFL on FOX. Host Bryant Gumbel meets with the 40-year-old to find out how he is adjusting to his new high-profile role while continuing as an engaging NFL studio analyst. Despite a nasty public divorce during his playing days, Strahan has since maintained a clean public image and was selected by ABC to replace Regis Philbin after featuring almost 60 guest hosts in their search for a new co-host for Kelly Ripa. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, Gumbel takes HBO’s cameras behind the scenes as Strahan prepares for “LIVE” and makes the transition from football to pop culture, where ratings trump sacks.
Producer: Maggie Burbank.
* Live Like Line. In 2010, after the Iowa City West High School girls’ volleyball team won the Iowa state title, returning captain Caroline Found, the soul of the team, predicted they would repeat. But the team and community were subsequently left devastated by two tragedies in a five-month span. REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford travels to Iowa City to learn how a squad of 17-year-old girls overcame their grief to achieve an ending fit for Hollywood.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*Gay Pride. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier amid racial intolerance. Today, with national acceptance of the LGBT community on the rise, when will an active male athlete from one of the four major American sports come out? Despite tens of thousands of men having played in the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, nobody in one of these power leagues has acknowledged they are gay while in uniform. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel addresses the topic in depth, exploring why athletes are so reluctant to reveal their sexual orientation until after their playing days.
Producers: Nick Dolin, Tim Walker.
*Storytellers. Launched by Ed Sabol as a small outfit in the Philadelphia area in 1962, NFL Films grew almost as rapidly as the sport itself, setting the standard among pro sports leagues for innovative filmmaking. Ed and his son Steve built one of the NFL’s more enduring and recognizable franchises by transforming the post-production presentation of the violent world of professional football into a cinematic event. This Sept. 18, Steve died of brain cancer at age 69, just 18 months after doctors found an inoperable tumor on his brain. REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford, who reported the original 2007 feature, revisits the story to measure the enormous impact pioneer Steve Sabol had on the sport he loved, and on the colleagues he nurtured.
Producers: Joe Perskie, Jake Rosenwasser.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. In April, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Joe Perskie is senior producer.
And I’ll have a post on a new competitor to Real Sports coming up.
Sep
18
Bryant Gumbel’s Real Sports Closing Commentary, 09/18/2012
Apparently angry at the NFL replacement referees, Bryant Gumbel lashed out tonight and gave them his parting shot on HBO’s Real Sports. I mean, he really went all out to trash them.
Let’s check out what Bryant said.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #186
AIRS TONIGHT (9/18) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT“Finally tonight, with a few words about The Replacements. That’s the title of a comedy Hollywood produced 12 years ago about some inept fill-ins for striking football players. The film was no masterpiece but it was kind of funny. Unfortunately, there’s nothing even mildly amusing about the NFL’s current version of the replacements starring real scabs as inept officials.
By now you know the league’s veteran crews are on the sidelines, forced there by a labor dispute over a relatively small amount of money. I know telling other people how to spend their money is rude but the reality of guys who are worth billions risking the health of players worth millions in order to save just thousands of dollars is downright silly. Especially for a league claiming to care about player safety.
On screen Keanu Reeves and the other replacements made a mockery of the game, something the NFL wants fans to think its replacements haven’t done just yet. But we’re only two weeks into a five-month season and as the growing number of complaints by coaches and players would suggest, there is every reason to fear the worst is yet to come from subs who are clearly in over their head.
For the record, the movie Replacements found a way to come together and prevail under the guidance of Gene Hackman. But that stuff only happens in Hollywood. Roger Goodell is no Gene Hackman, and real life is no movie. Trying to learn on the job while presiding over a game that’s inherently violent is serious stuff. The NFL’s replacement refs have already lost the respect of the players and lost control on the field. Thinking they might regain either? That’s really make believe.”
That’s all.
Jul
18
Let’s Do Some Wednesday Linkage
Time for the links on this Wednesday. Let’s check out what we have.
Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter talks with NBC’s Bob Costas about the Olympics, Jerry Sandusky and being short. That’s right.
Daniel Kaplan from the Sports Business Journal writes that the NFL will not sign a telecommunications partner this season and will see how the Wi-Fi experience goes at five stadiums before deciding.
Owen Gibson of the London (UK) Guardian reports that BBC has scored the rights to the Olympics through 2020.
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson blogs about the Beeb keeping the UK rights to the Olympics.
I have the BBC press release on the new Olympics contract.
Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly says ESPNU will have its own late night entertainment/talk show premiering in late August.
Also from EW, Dan Snierson says disgraced former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose will get his own TLC reality show. The question is, who doesn’t have a TLC reality show?
Brian Moran at Broadcasting & Cable says World Team Tennis will get live national coverage this weekend on Tennis Channel and the Comcast SportsNet regional affiliates.
Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life writes that ratings for the Home Run Derby were up while the All-Star Game took a hit.
The SportsCasters
Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim about Joe Posnanski’s book on Joe Paterno.
Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report wonders why SI passed on printing an excerpt of Posnanski’s book.
Ed notices that the promotional video for the Paterno book has been removed from YouTube.
Ed talks with an ESPN executive on the network now using its own cameras instead of relying on the BBC to cover the Open Championship.
Reinhardt Krause of Investor’s Business Daily look at how cable providers are finding ways to drive up sports rights fees.
The Tampa Bay Times’ Eric Deggans in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center talks with Real Sports’ Frank Deford about his updated piece on marching band hazing at historically black colleges.
SportsGrid’s Eric Goldschein has video of Los Angeles Dodgers voice Vin Scully scolding the team for its failure to execute a rundown play.
Patrick Burns at Deadspin says the Joe Paterno story dominated ESPN’s news coverage last week.
Deadspin’s John Koblin notes that Sports Illustrated is beginning to use the photo sharing site, Instagram.
The London (UK) Mirror provides 100 bizarre facts about the Olympics.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN’s Paul Azinger about the Open Championship.
Brandon Marcello of the Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger says the SEC Storied documentary series will produce a film on a former Mississippi State football coach.
Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman notes that with the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, USA basketball vs. Brazil on ESPN drew very well locally.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders what exactly will the new TLC Pete Rose reality show be about?
John says a local internet service provider will add ESPN3 in August.
Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times looks at ESPN paying the Rose Bowl $80 million per year starting in 2015.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has a preview of tonight’s “The Franchise” episode on Showtime which will show the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton going under the knife.
Joe Flint of the Times has Comcast appealing to the government to butt out of its programming decisions i.e., Tennis Channel.
Sports Media Watch notes that TNT’s NASCAR season finale saw increased ratings.
SMW has some ratings news and notes.
Chinwe Nwadike at Chinwe’s Corner wonders why some in the media are angry at Fox’s Erin Andrews.
Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest says the WWE has established a social media hub for investors.
Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has a screengrab of the Longhorn Network taking one final shot at Texas A&M before it leaves the Big 12 for good.
Jason Boog at Galleycat says an NBC Sports producer has published a children’s book on the Olympics.
That will do it for today.
Jul
17
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comments on HBO’s Real Sports, July 17, 2012
HBO Sports has sent us an advance transcript of tonight’s Real Sports closing commentary by Bryant Gumbel. Often, Bryant’s words are to the point and tonight, he’s practically spot on.
Here he takes on Reggie Jackson’s recent comments about Alex Rodriguez and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Then Bryant talks about the HoF being a place of honor and not necessarily statistics. And with the Steroids Era players becoming eligible starting next year, Bryant gives voters a warning.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #184
AIRS TONIGHT (7/17) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT“Finally tonight comes word that Reggie Jackson has wisely decided to pass on this weekend’s induction ceremonies at Cooperstown. You may have seen that Jackson recently caused a stir by suggesting that a variety of baseball notables didn’t merit inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Now, because his judgment was personal and his timing terrible, Reggie has since retreated from his stated views. But here’s hoping that the gist of what he said isn’t altogether lost on the Hall’s voters.
You see Reggie was basically right in contending that the hall should be special and its doors should not be opened just because someone stuck around long enough to collect 3,000 hits or 300 wins. Yes, the numbers are proof of some very good players. But as the former star pitcher Jim Kaat has often noted so astutely, Cooperstown’s supposed to be a Hall of Fame – not a hall of achievement.
If the voters are really so obsessed with honoring guys with the numbers, they’d be wise to start rethinking the exclusion of those megastars linked to steroids, and do it quickly. Because the next Cooperstown ballot will, for the first time, include among others, both the seven-time MVP Barry Bonds and the seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. And while both men have a suspect past, it’s going to be hard to argue they don’t deserve a bust in Cooperstown. After all, a hall of fame that somehow excludes the game’s homerun king and its most honored pitcher and its all-time hits leader, would really be making a mockery of itself.”
That’s all. Real Sports airs tonight at 10 ET/PT
Jul
17
Doing Some Tuesday Linkage
I was expecting to be out of the office today, but with the temperatures over 90 in Southern New England, being inside with air conditioning is probably the way to go today. I hope wherever you are, you’re staying cool and away from the sun.
I have some links.
Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter says the BBC is defending the size of its staff devoted to covering the London Olympics pointing out that NBC is bringing almost four times BBC’s number.
Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable writes that ESPN has hired an internationally-known soccer journalist to bolster its website.
Tim says Golf Channel has made a couple of hires.
George Winslow at Broadcasting & Cable writes that the Pac-12 Networks have selected Cisco to distribute video throughout its systems.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says a US-based martial arts network is attempting to gain a foothold in Europe.
Gabriel Belton of Adweek looks at a new Olympics-themed ad from GlaxoSmithKline.
Rupal Parekh at Advertising Age says Ralph Lauren is taking a huge PR hit over its “Made in Communist China” US Olympic Opening Ceremony uniforms.
Michelle Smith of espnW profiles Lydia Murphy-Stephens who’s helping to launch the Pac-12 Networks.
Timothy Burke at Deadspin notes that NBC’s Today Show ran video of the wrong man during an interview with Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick.
John Koblin of Deadspin says Sports Illustrated will not run an excerpt of Joe Posnanski’s upcoming book on Joe Paterno.
Ed Sherman in The Sherman Report says a promotional video for Posnanski’s book seems to be seriously outdated in the wake of the Freeh Report released last week.
Joe Lucia of Awful Announcing explores whether Baseball Night in America was a ratings success for Fox.
Matt Yoder of AA talks with ESPN tome author James Andrew Miller in a podcast.
And Matt speaks with Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel about Penn State and the BCS in a new podcast.
How about one more podcast? Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina interviews Fox’s Erin Andrews on why she left ESPN.
Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy explores whether the NHL’s new TV deals with NBC and HBO could prevent a prolonged lockout unlike the last one which wiped out an entire season.
At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times says the Freeh Report shows that journalists cannot take a college football program at face value.
Also at the National Sports Journalism Center, Michael Bradley blasts ESPN and Big Ten Network for their coverage of the Freeh Report.
Sports Video Group looks at a company that is streaming the Olympics to 70 countries worldwide.
Cork Gaines of the Business Insider Sports Page says ESPN actually censored its own Body Issue cover of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski this morning.
Newsday’s Neil Best ventures into NBC’s “Billion Dollar Lab” for the 2012 Olympics.
Jerry Barmash of Fishbowl NY notes that WFAN’s Mike Francesa tops the Talkers Magazine Heavy Hundred Sports Radio Talk Show Hosts.
The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty discusses Golf Channel’s new hires.
Evan Weiner in the New Jersey Newsroom says the NFL is pricing out the regular fan.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning News says a former Eagles and Steelers offensive lineman is now working for NFL Films.
David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun is telling readers that Taylor Teagarden’s inadvertent “S” bomb after the Orioles win over Detroit on Fox Saturday is not a big deal.
Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog looks at where the local sports radio talkers rank on Talkers Heavy Hundred List.
Dan has video of a new Robert Griffin III commercial.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner explores the Nationals’ TV and radio ratings.
Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman notes that native Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers will be profiled on HBO’s Real Sports tonight.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer has video of Charlie Sheen appearing with Joe Morgan (?) on Jay Leno’s Show of Hacks.
Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch says ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue included a local Olympic volleyballer.
The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Chris Scott says the site’s own online TV service will be live from the Del Mar Racetrack this week for Opening Day.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notes that the White House had trouble transcribing ESPN’s Mark Jones’ interview of President Obama during last night’s USA vs. Brazil pre-Olympic basketball exhibition game.
Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says NHL fans may not see hockey until at least Thanksgiving at the earliest.
Paulsen at Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.
That’s going to end the links for today.
Jul
16
Real Sports Back on Tuesday, July 17
HBO’s Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, returns Tuesday with a profile of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp, a story about 1996 US Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu’s long-lost sister and an update on band hazing at Historically Black College and Universities. While 20/20 already did a story on Moceanu and her sister, I’m sure HBO’s version will have something 20/20 did not cover.
Here’s the press release from HBO.
GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH DODGERS ALL-STAR MATT KEMP;
TELLS THE IMPROBABLE STORY OF TWO GYMNASTS; AND
REEXAMINES MARCHING BAND HAZING AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JULY 17, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBONow in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 184th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JULY 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: July 17 (3:10 a.m.), 19 (2:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 22 (1:00 p.m.), 23 (1:00 a.m.), 25 (10:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m.), 28 (10:45 a.m.), 30 (11:30 p.m.) and 31 (6:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 18 (5:15 p.m., 1:50 a.m.), 20 (9:00 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 24 (2:00 a.m.), 26 (2:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.) and 29 (7:00 p.m., 5:10 a.m.), and Aug. 1 (5:30 p.m.) and 4 (11:25 a.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: July 23-Aug. 13. The show is also available on HBO GO.
Segments include:
*The Toast of Tinseltown. Boasting a new $160 million contract, emerging superstar Matt Kemp is the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise. Kemp, 27, led the National League in home runs, runs batted in and runs scored last year, and was recently chosen to be a starting National League All-Star for the second straight season, despite a nagging hamstring injury that will keep him from playing in Kansas City. This current success stands in sharp contrast to his humble Oklahoma upbringing. In a REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel talks with Kemp about how the Dodgers have put their faith in him as a leader, and the pressures that come with that vote of confidence.
Producer: Michael Tolajian.
*Separated. Born without legs in the late 1980s, Jen Bricker was promptly given up for adoption by her parents. However, her foster parents treated her like a normal child, and she grew up in Illinois playing sports, despite her physical limitations. Around the same time, Romanian-American Dominique Moceanu was emerging as one of the United States’ best young gymnasts as part of the “Magnificent Seven” who captured team gold at the 1996 Atlanta games. Aware of her own Romanian heritage, Bricker rooted for Moceanu that summer, and, inspired by her idol, began competing and excelling in the sport. Recently, the two discovered an improbable bond much more profound than their shared interest in gymnastics, which would change both of their lives forever. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg sits down with the two women to hear their moving story.
Producer: Joe Perskie.
*The Deadly Tradition. Among the most entertaining spectacles in college football is the game-day performance of the school band. Shockingly, behind the tradition and prestige of marching bands at historically black universities is a longstanding ritual of violent hazing, where bandmates hit, strike and even beat their counterparts. Two years ago, REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford revealed some of the troubling incidents that led to the suspension of students and band directors, with victims filing and winning lawsuits. Yet the callous practice continued largely unabated. Last fall, at Florida A&M University, which was included in the Nov. 2010 report, drum major Robert Champion died after brutal hazing. Now, Deford leads HBO’s cameras back to the campuses to ask: Despite countless warnings, why does this dangerous initiation custom continue?
Producers: Josh Fine, Nick Dolin, Jake Rosewasser.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. In April, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That is all.
Jun
19
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comments on Real Sports, 06/19
Tonight, Bryant Gumbel went after some athletes whom he felt got their comeuppance. He didn’t spare any words in going after Terrell Owens, Floyd Mayweather, Curt Schilling and Manny Ramirez. Sometimes Bryant’s comments are way out in left field, but tonight, I agree with him.
Overall, this edition of Real Sports was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.
Here are Bryant’s comments:
Finally tonight, it may be time to question that adage that “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied”, because some famous jocks who’ve been infamous jerks for a long time have finally been getting their comeuppance … and all in the last three weeks.
On May 30th, the veteran diva Terrell Owens, got kicked to the curb by the latest and probably last team that tired of his shenanigans… an indoor league football team at that.
On June 1st, Floyd Mayweather, the fighter who found it easier to get physical with the mother of his children than with Manny Pacquaio finally went to jail to begin serving a sentence for domestic battery.
On June 7th, we learned that the FBI is investigating former pitcher and fulltime blowhard Curt Schilling. A tea party guy, he evidently hates gov’t handouts, except when they’re to him. Schilling’s company, it seems, forfeited on a sweetheart Rhode Island state loan, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
On June 13th, the US anti-doping agency effectively said what so many have long suspected…that Lance Armstrong is a fraud and they’ve officially brought charges that may at long last cycle him out of the spotlight.
And on June 15th, Manny Ramirez, the 40 year old slugger whose been a major league pain in the ass for years, was given his release and would appear to be finally on his way out of baseball.
In the grand scheme of things, the problems of all these guys may not amount to much, unless you believe in karma…in which case, congratulations are in order, because you’re having one hell of a month.
And that’s our show for this evening. For all the good folks here at Real Sports, I’m Bryant Gumbel. Thanks so much for being with us and good night.
Very strong words from Bryant tonight. I particularly like what he said about Curt Schilling. No, I’m not a bitter Rhode Island taxpayer, not at all. Anyway, Bryant’s commentary gets an A.
Jun
18
Real Sports Returns Tuesday, June 19
The Emmy Award-winning Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns on Tuesday with three new stories and one update. One story will have an interview with former NBA coach Phil Jackson who talks about whether he’ll return to the league. Two stories have Olympic themes and one will focus on one of the most dangerous races in the world.
Lots of interesting stories. HBO gives us a preview.
Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 183rd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JUNE 19 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: June 19 (2:25 a.m.), 22 (10:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 24 (10:30 a.m.), 25 (3:30 p.m.), 27 (6:00 p.m., 1:15 a.m.) and 30 (10:00 a.m.), and July 2 (11:30 p.m.) and 5 (7:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: June 20 (2:00 p.m.), 23 (9:20 a.m.) and 29 (6:00 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), and July 1 (4:15 p.m.), 3 (8:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m.) and 9 (11:00 a.m., 11:00 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: June 25-July 16
Segments include:
*Philling Time. He’s won more championships than any other professional team coach in history. So why is Phil Jackson relaxing at his secluded house in Montana, instead of issuing orders from the bench of an NBA team? In an exclusive interview with the 11-time title winner, REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer goes to Jackson’s rarely-seen compound in Big Sky country to discuss what’s ahead in his life and whether a return to an NBA team is in his future.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Holley Mangold. At 5’8” and 350 pounds, Holley Mangold isn’t your typical world-class athlete. Loud and bawdy, the 22-year-old won a spot on the U.S. Olympic weightlifting team after hoisting 320 pounds in the clean-and-jerk event. Sitting in the stands cheering her on was older brother Nick Mangold, All Pro center for the New York Jets. The siblings grew up playing all kinds of sports, but when Holley saw Nick play Pee Wee Football, she followed suit, playing offensive line from grade school through high school and becoming the first high-school female ever to play from the line of scrimmage in Ohio. When she took up weightlifting in college, however, she really set herself apart, ascending to the top of the sport in only four years. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated report, correspondent Mary Carillo catches up with Holley Mangold as she prepares for the fast-approaching London Olympic Games.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*Isle of Man. The Isle of Man, a 226-square mile island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, hosts motorcycle racing’s most prestigious event, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, but the competition has been under heavy scrutiny for safety concerns since it began in 1907. The Snaefell Mountain Course, where the race is held during the final week of May and the first week of June, has resulted in 237 deaths, and the event was stripped of its world championship status in 1976. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel travels to the British Isles to learn more about this prominent, very dangerous, race.
Producer: Tim Walker.
*Lopez Lomong. Lopez Lomong is considered one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” After being captured by rebel soldiers during a brutal Sudanese civil war and suffering through weeks of watching others die at their camp, the six-year-old ran for three days until he reached Kenya, where he was placed in a refugee camp. Lomong spent the next ten years of his life as a refugee before being adopted by a rural New York family. He subsequently emerged as an elite talent in long-distance running, earning a scholarship to Northern Arizona University, where he won two NCAA championships, and a chance to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
When REAL SPORTS last talked to Lomong, he was training for the 2008 Games, at which he was chosen by his fellow Americans to carry the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies and reached the semi-finals of the 1500M. Correspondent Mary Carillo reconnects with the 27-year-old as he prepares for the 2012 London track trials.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Mike Sullivan.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. In April, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s all.
May
21
Preview of HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Episode 182 — Lolo Jones
On Tuesday, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel will air a feature on Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones and her attempts to get back to the Games. You may remember in the 2008 Communist China Olympics that Jones was leading the women’s 100 meter hurdles and was the heavy favorite to win the gold medal when she hit the next to last hurdle, then fell to the track and lost the race. Now, she’s attempting to get back to the Olympics for her shot at redemption.
Mary Carillo interviewed Lolo and we have some clips from the show that will air on Tuesday. And the subject matter is rather fascinating.
First, Jones talks about how she got the name “Lolo”.
Here, Lolo tells Mary what it takes to train to get to the Olympics.
And in this clip, Lolo explains to Mary why she decided to remain a virgin until she marries.
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel airs Tuesday night at 10 ET/PT on HBO with various replays throughout the next three weeks.
May
21
HBO’s Real Sports Returns May 22
The Emmy Award-winning monthly HBO Sports newsmagazine Real Sports returns Tuesday with three new stories and an update.
Among the stories you’ll see will be a look at why Korean golfers thrive on the LPGA Tour, a profile of Olympics hurdler Lolo Jones, another profile on the nephew of legendary boxer Micky Ward and the update will be on a New York City fireman who was a top-notch accident, but after an accident and losing his leg became a top-notch athlete again.
We have the preview of this month’s program from HBO Sports. Check it out.
LOOKS AT SOUTH KOREAN DOMINANCE ON THE LPGA TOUR;
GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH US OLYMPIAN LOLO JONES;
TELLS THE INSPIRING STORY OF RAY GREENHALGE, MICKY WARD’S NEPHEW;
AND RECONNECTS WITH NEW YORK CITY FIREMAN MATT LONG WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS MAY 22, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBONow in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 182nd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, MAY 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: May 22 (5:00 a.m.), 25 (1:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 27 (8:00 a.m.), 29 (8:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m.) and 31 (4:00 p.m., 3:45 a.m.), and June 2 (9:30 a.m.) and 6 (11:00 a.m., 12:25 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: May 24 (7:00 p.m.), 26 (1:40 p.m.), 28 (10:00 p.m.) and 30 (10:00 a.m., 11:00 p.m.), and June 3 (11:30 a.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m., 1:45 a.m.) and 11 (3:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: May 28-June 18
Segments include:
*Seoul Sisters. Home to 50 million people, tiny, mountainous South Korea has little room for golf courses, but no other country in the world has more women in the upper ranks of pro female golfers. An astounding 145 of the top 500 female golfers in the world are from South Korea, including four of the top ten, while the nation is responsible for 17 of the top 50 LPGA earners in 2012 to date, the most of any country. The path to success on the links can begin early, with some young South Korean women – on the advice of their parents – sacrificing traditional schooling to dedicate more than 40 hours a week to their craft. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel travels to South Korea to find out how a country roughly the size of Indiana and making up less than one percent of the world’s population has come to dominate a sport.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Lolo Jones. Entering the Women’s 100M Hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lori “Lolo” Jones was the favorite to capture gold, but she tripped while attempting to clear the penultimate hurdle, finishing seventh. While this stumble was a huge blow to her career, it was also just another adversity to overcome. Jones’ difficult childhood included stretches of homelessness, thanks to a father who was in and out of prison and a mother who struggled financially. But she went on to win three NCAA titles, earn 11 All-American honors at LSU and capture gold medals at the World Indoor Championship. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo sits down with the 29-year-old to talk about then and now, as she prepares for what could be her last shot at Olympic gold.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
*Ray Greenhalge. When Ray Greenhalge was born seven weeks prematurely, doctors said he would never walk or talk as a result of the debilitating muscle disorder cerebral palsy, as well as severe fluid on the brain. Now, 26 years later, he’s probably more talkative and physically active than most his age – an age many feared he wouldn’t reach. The nephew and godson of retired boxer Micky Ward, best known for his historic trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti in 2002 and 2003, Greenhalge has a unique passion for boxing, which gives him a sense of direction. He also proves to be every bit as tough as his uncle, with whom he spars ten rounds every Saturday, as well as engaging in two- to three-hour daily gym workouts. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Massachusetts to hear Greenhalge’s inspirational story.
Producer: Michael Tolajian.
*Matt Long. On a frigid 2005 winter morning in midtown Manhattan during a transit strike, New York City fireman, marathoner and Ironman triathlete Matt Long was riding his bike to work when a private bus made an illegal turn and literally ran him over. Given a one-percent chance of survival, he spent five months in the hospital and underwent 40 surgeries to repair his crushed right leg and impaled organs. The 46-year-old credits his great physical condition for being able to stave off infection and survive the ordeal. The 9/11 veteran persevered and trained passionately for two years to become a top-notch athlete again. In 2008, Long completed the New York City marathon in just over seven hours, and eight months later completed an Ironman Competition within the 17-hour time limit.
Since the original story aired in 2009, Long has gotten married and expects to become a father in June. He was also involved in another car accident, this time during a charity bike ride in Florida, but escaped with just a broken wrist. While the injury derailed his quest to qualify for this summer’s London Paralympics, REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo learns that Long is doing better than ever.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Lisa Bennett.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the August 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Last month, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl games money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s all from here.
May
01
HBO Sports Wins Three Sports Emmy Awards
Another Sports Emmy Award press release for you. This one comes from HBO Sports which was honored for its innovative 24/7 series, one for boxing, the other for the NHL. And HBO also received one of the more prestigious awards, Outstanding Sports Journalism for its feature “The College Bowl Game Money Trail” which was aired on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel last year.
Here is HBO Sports’ press release for you.
HBO collected three Sports Emmys Awards.
The wins marked the 15th time that Real Sports has been honored with the award for “Outstanding Sports Journalism” and the two trophies for the “24/7” franchise brings to 16 the number of Sports Emmys won by the series since its inception in 2007. “24/7” is the most honored sports series on television during that span.
OUTSTANDING SPORTS JOURNALISM –
- REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL – The College Bowl Game Money Trail (Bernard Goldberg)
OUTSTANDING EDITING –
- 24/7 PACQUIAO/MARQUEZ
THE DICK SCHAAP WRITING AWARD
- 24/7 FLYERS/RANGERS: ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC
We’re done. Two more Sports Emmy press releases and we’re finished in the category.
May
01
Winners of the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards
Throughout the day, I will be posting various press releases from the networks touting their Sports Emmy Awards. Last night, I posted the winners as they were handed out. Now, we have the official press release from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences which holds the annual ceremonies.
These include the names who were involved in each category. Congratulations to all of the winners this year.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE 33rd ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS
Jack Whitaker Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
New York, NY – April 30, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced the winners of the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards at a special ceremony tonight at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Winners in 33 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst were honored.
The awards were presented by a distinguished group of sports figures and television personalities including Cris Collinsworth (sports analyst for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”); Harold Reynolds (MLB Network studio analyst); Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”); Al Leiter (studio analyst, MLB Network); Mike Mayock (game analyst, NFL Network); Melissa Stark (reporter, NFL Network); Shaquille O’Neal (studio analyst, “Inside the NBA on TNT”); Joe Buck (sportscaster, FOX Sports); Curt Menefee (sportscaster and host, “FOX NFL Sunday”); Tracy Wolfson (sportscaster, CBS Sports); Gary Danielson (commentator, CBS Sports); Mary Carillo (correspondent, HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”); Sage Steele (anchor, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”); Bob Papa (HBO Sports Broadcaster); Ernie Johnson (host of “Inside the NBA on TNT”); Chris McKendry (co-anchor, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”); and Steve Levy (journalist, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”).
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Jack Whitaker, sports commentator and essayist, by Jim Nantz, play-by-play announcer of “The NFL on CBS,” NCAA college basketball and golf on CBS.
“We are honored to be presenting Jack Whitaker with our Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “I had the pleasure of working with Jack for eighteen years at CBS, and Jack is a sports icon and a class act.”
In addition, NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell was honored with the Chairman’s Award representing the networks and their patriotic coverage of the historic 10 year anniversary of September 11th last year.
The Sports Emmy® Award recipients were chosen by a Blue Ribbon Panel of industry peers. The awards recognize outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2011 calendar year.
A detailed listing of all awards is below as compiled by the independent accountancy firm of Lutz and Carr, LLP. A list of winners for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards is also available on the National Television Academy’s website at www.emmyonline.tv.
Awards by Network Group
NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, nbcsports.com) 9
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D, espn.com) 6
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com, truTV) 5
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED) 5
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) 4
HBO Sports 3
MLB Network 3
NFL Network 2
PGA.com 1
Nominations by Network
NBC 8
FOX 4
TNT 4
ESPN 3
HBO Sports 3
MLB NETWORK 3
SHOWTIME 3
ESPN2 2
NFL NETWORK 2
CBSSPORTS.COM 1
ESPN 3D 1
NBA TV 1
PGA.COM 1
SPEED 1
VERSUS 1
And the list of award winners are after the jump.
Apr
17
HBO’s Real Sports Returns Tonight
The Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine, Real Sports returns to HBO tonight with three new stories and an update. As always, the show is extremely compelling and one of the best bastions of sports journalism today.
In tonight’s edition, we get a profile of Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, another on Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol and a look into big-mountain back country skiing.
The update is on former race car driver Alex Zanardi who lost both of his legs in a horrific accident, but didn’t allow that to define him. Bryant Gumbel goes back to talk with Zanardi who is now training for the Paralympics in London.
All fascinating stuff. Here’s the press release from HBO Sports.
PROFILES TAMPA BAY RAYS MANAGER JOE MADDON;
VISITS LAKERS FORWARD PAU GASOL;
EXPLORES THE DEATH-DEFYING WORLD OF BACKCOUNTRY SKIING; AND RECONNECTS WITH FORMER RACE CAR DRIVER ALEX ZANARDI WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS APRIL 17, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBONow in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 181st edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, APRIL 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: April 17 (2:10 a.m.), 20 (1:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 22 (9:45 a.m.), 26 (5:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), 28 (11:00 a.m.) and 30 (9:30 a.m., 6:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: April 18 (9:30 p.m., 4:15 a.m.), 24 (10:55 a.m., midnight) and 27 (8:00 a.m.), and May 1 (7:00 p.m., 2:30 a.m.), 4 (7:55 a.m., 3:30 p.m.), 6 (noon) and 12 (9:00 a.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: April 23-May 14
Segments include:
*Joe Maddon. Since they went to the World Series in 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays have been a constant force in the playoff race, despite having one of the league’s lowest payrolls and competing in the American League East against the powerhouse Yankees and Red Sox. Much of the credit should go to Rays skipper Joe Maddon, who has led the team to three playoff appearance in six years, in the process capturing two A.L. Manager of the Year Awards. REAL SPORTS correspondent Armen Keteyian talks to the charismatic 58-year-old, who recently received a three-year contract extension, as he prepares once again to battle for a post-season berth.
Producer: Joe Perskie.*Pau Gasol. Seven-foot Spaniard Pau Gasol is arguably the most athletic big man in the NBA today. After setting nearly every franchise record during seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, he was traded to the storied the Los Angeles Lakers, where he teamed with superstar Kobe Bryant to win back-to-back NBA championships. Entering the shortened 2012 NBA season, Gasol was the subject of constant trade rumors, but with the trade deadline behind him, the four-time all-star can now focus on playing deep into June. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel sits down with the 31-year-old Gasol to discuss being a Laker and the pressure that comes with the Hollywood spotlight.
Producer: Maggie Burbank.*Backcountry. Skiers who conquer a slope routinely seek out a taller, faster and more challenging mountain. But some raise the stakes by taking on unchartered terrain in big-mountain backcountry skiing, where unforeseen cliff drops, unexpected turns and avalanches are among the risks. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel meets three backcountry enthusiasts who have risked life and limb skiing fresh-powder slopes, and asks why they find death-defying activity so enticing.
Producer: Tim Walker.*Alex Zanardi. In 2001, Italian race car driver Alex Zanardi was involved in a horrifying crash at a CART race in Germany that instantly severed both legs. Although it appeared the two-time CART champion’s driving career was finished, he embarked on a remarkable comeback, taking an active role in designing prosthetics that allowed him to resume such everyday activities as walking, swimming and driving. Eventually, he raced again, driving a specially equipped race car that allowed him to shift and accelerate with his hands. More recently, the 45-year-old has turned to handbiking, a form of Paralympic cycling. REAL SPORTS reconnects with Zanardi as he trains for this summer’s London Paralympics in the hills of Tuscany. Host Bryant Gumbel reports.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Ezra Edelman.REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received 22 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. On March 20, the program received four Sports Emmy® Award nominations for the 2011 programming season, including two in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism. The winners will be announced April 30.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That is all.
Mar
22
Some Long Overdue Linkage
Due to crazy personal schedules on Tuesday and Wednesday, I wasn’t able to update the site as much as I would like. I apologize to you as I’ve been trying to keep you apprised of the latest sports media news. A few housekeeping notes, first I did some Sports Media Thoughts earlier this morning and you read them here.
Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing was kind to ask me on his podcast and we recorded it on Wednesday while I was on the road so the phone quality isn’t great (damn you, AT&T 3G). You can listen to what Matt and I discussed at the Awful Announcing site.
And lastly, Keith Thibault and I recorded our latest Sports Media Weekly podcast this week and our guest is Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette and the subject is college hockey coverage.
Now to our links.
Michael Smith & John Ourand from Sports Business Journal look at the possibility of ESPN and Fox Sports teaming up once again, this time to control the media rights to the Big 12 Conference. The two companies combined for the Pac-12 last year in an attempt to keep NBC Sports out of college sports and it appears the two are back at work again on the Big 12 rights.
Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim makes a very good point on the perceived conflict of interests of ESPN’s tennis announcers and the players to which they’re connected, case in point, Mary Jo Fernandez seen sitting with Roger Federer’s wife during the BNP Paribas Open last week on ABC.
Andrew McCalvy at MLB.com writes that Milwaukee Brewers Hall of Fame voice Bob Uecker will be honored with a statue outside Miller Park. Congrats to Uke on a well deserved honor. We all remember his character, Harry Doyle from the “Major League” movies and his great quote, “Juuuuust a bit outside.” Classic.
Interesting study from the Media Behavior Institute which shows a great majority still watch the NCAA Tournament on TV, but online numbers comprise a large chunk.
Ben Grossman at Broadcasting & Cable reports that Major League Baseball is looking at placing postseason games on MLB Network to boost its subscriber numbers.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that MLB Network will produce a pregame show for Fox Saturday Baseball.
Tom Comi of Channel Guide Magazine would like a halt to the Tim Tebow media circus.
Mike Miller at NBC’s College Basketball Talk notes that the NCAA Tournament ratings on CBS/Turner are just about even with last year.
Eric Goldschein of SportsGrid has video of ESPN’s Mike Tirico losing it during last night’s Lakers-Mavericks game.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Wheaties may be dying a very slow and painful death.
Ronnie Ramos in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says coaches and players are learning the proper use of Twitter.
Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy notes that Rogers Sportsnet picked up on a popular internet meme and used it in an on-screen graphic.
To Fishbowl NY where Jerry Barmash talks with Kenny Albert.
Newsday’s Neil Best writes that NBC Sports Network set a ratings record for hockey in NYC.
Neil notes that ESPN has a new head man-in-charge.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that CBS/Turner will bring in two coaches as guest analysts for the NCAA Tournament.
Pete says ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball crew will be busy in the first week of the MLB season.
Keith Groller at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says Lehigh left an impression on CBS during the NCAA Tournament.
Matt Brooks of the Washington Post’s Early Lead has your viewing guide for tonight’s Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has links to some of the best columns from the late Furman Bisher.
Some of Bisher’s friends pay tribute to the man.
The AJC has a gallery of pictures showing Bisher throughout his career.
Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman looks at HBO Real Sports’ update on the 2001 plane crash that hit the Oklahoma State basketball program extremely hard.
Mel says local viewers chose Fox Sports Oklahoma over ESPN for two Oklahoma City Thunder games last week.
David Jablonski of the Dayton (OH) Daily News says a local man leads the millions of entries in ESPN’s Bracketology contest.
John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer is not a fan of NCAA Tournament scheduling.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the radio analyst for Bucks games has been off the air since last month.
Bob says former Brewers voice Matt Vasgersian will host the MLB Network-produced MLB on Fox pregame show.
Tom Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times remembers pioneering sportswriter Lacy J. Banks who died Wednesday.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has video of Bob Costas pontificating on the Saints suspensions.
The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin writes about the media fighting over staged NHL fights.
The Toronto Sports Media blog explores the local newspapers imploring the Maple Leafs to apologize to their fans for missing the playoffs.
Sports Media Watching notes that ratings on NBA TV are up.
Media Rantz says ESPN got fooled by a fake Adam Schefter Twitter account during Tim Tebow coverage last night.
We have a picture of that fake Adam Schefter tweet. “Adarn Schefter”?
Ben Koo of Awful Announcing explores the Gus Johnson departure from CBS and how it may leave him without his signature event for a long time to come.
The Convoluted Mind of a Single Man site looks at the innovations John Madden brought to NFL broadcasting.
Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth says league-owned networks are making big strides in production and programming.
And that will finish our links for today.
Mar
20
33rd Annual Sports Emmy Nominations Announced
We have the nominations, all 170 in 33 different categories, for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards. They just came out today. There are some surprises like massive hockey charlatan Pierre McGuire nominated in the Sports Reporter category and for some really strange reason, Skippy Bayless of ESPN2′s First Take was nominated for Best Studio Analyst. What analysis does he do besides yelling and having massive manlove for Tim Tebow?
There are some of the usual suspects are nominated, Bob Costas for Best Studio Host, Al Michaels in Play-by-Play, Cris Collinsworth for both Studio and Game Analyst.
Some of the nominations I agree with include Mike Mayock for Best Game Analyst, College GameDay and Football Night in America as Best Studio Shows and all of the movies in the Sports Documentary category. Sports documentaries were strong this year and I have trouble picking one although Catching Hell, the ESPN Films effort on Steve Bartman and the Chicago Cubs might be the weakest of the bunch, but the doc was still very good.
Ok, get ready to scroll, the entire list is below. We do need a page break so the list of nominees will after the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences press releases.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 33RD ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS
Winners to be Honored During the April 30th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jack Whitaker to Receive Lifetime Achievement AwardNew York, NY – March 20, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.
More than 170 nominees were announced in 33 categories including outstanding live sports special, live series, sports documentary, studio show, promotional announcements, play-by-play personality and studio analyst. The Awards will be given out at the prestigious Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center located in the Time Warner Center on April 30th, 2012 in New York City.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Sports will go to the Sports Commentator and Essayist, Jack Whitaker.
“This is an outstanding year for the sports community and for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “The entries received in this year’s Sports Emmys resulted in a record 175 nominees, illustrating the quality of these entries. We are also honoring Jack Whitaker with our Lifetime Achievement Award. I had the pleasure of working with Jack for eighteen years at CBS, and Jack is a sports icon and a class act.”
In addition to Jack Whitaker, many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities and television professionals will be in attendance as presenters at the event.
The networks of ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D & espn.com) lead the nomination totals with 55, the NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel & nbcsports.com) garnered 32, CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) entries received 26 nominations, while Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com & truTV) have 22.
A complete list of all nominees is attached below.
33rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network Group
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D, espn.com) – 55
NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, nbcsports.com) – 32
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) – 26
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com, truTV) – 22
HBO Sports – 19
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED) – 16
NFL Network – 12
MLB Network – 8
DIRECTV – 2
MLB Advanced Media (MLB.com, MLBAM) – 2
NFL.com – 2
NCAA.com – 1
PGA.com – 133rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network
ESPN – 36
NBC – 22
HBO Sports – 19
CBS – 15
FOX – 15
TNT – 15
ESPN2 – 14
NFL NETWORK – 12
SHOWTIME – 10
MLB NETWORK – 8
VERSUS – 7
TBS – 3
ABC – 2
DIRECTV – 2
ESPN 3D – 2
GOLF CHANNEL – 2
NBA TV – 2
NFL.COM – 2
CBSSPORTS.COM – 1
ESPN.COM – 1
MLB.COM – 1
MLBAM – 1
NBA.COM – 1
NBCSPORTS.COM – 1
NCAA.COM – 1
PGA.COM – 1
SPEED – 1
truTV – 1BREAKDOWN OF MULTIPLE PROGRAM/SERIES NOMINATIONS
Program/Nominations/Network
24/7: 8 - HBO
E: 60: 7 – ESPN2
A Game of Honor: 5 – Showtime/CBSSports.com
MLB on FOX: 5 – FOX
NASCAR on FOX: 5 – FOX
NBA on TNT: 4 – TNT
NBC Sunday Night Football: 4 – NBC
FIFA Women’s World Cup: 3 – ESPN/ESPN2
Outside the Lines: 3 – ESPN
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: 3 – HBO
SportsCenter: 3 – ESPN
The Army/Navy Game: 3 – CBS
The Franchise: 3 – Showtime
Winter X Games 15: 3 – ESPN/ESPN3D
2011 Open Championship: 2 – ESPN
2011 Stanley Cup Final: 2 – NBC/Versus
ESPN Monday Night Football: 2 – ESPN
Football Night in America: 2 – NBC
Grand Slam Tennis on ESPN: 2 – ESPN2
Inside the NBA on TNT: 2 – TNT
Joplin: City of Hope: 2 – ESPN2
McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice: 2 – HBO
MLB Tonight: 2 – MLB Network
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: 2 – CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV
NFL Films Presents: 2 – NFL Network
NFL GameDay Morning: 2 – NFL Network
NFL on FOX: 2 – FOX
Sports Science: 2 – ESPN/ESPN.com
Sunday NFL Countdown: 2 – ESPN
Unguarded: 2 – ESPN
And after the page break, all of the nominees for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards which will be handed out April 30 in New York City.
Mar
20
On Tonight’s Real Sports on HBO
Tonight on the Emmy Award-winning Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, there will be three new stories and an update. The main story will be a profile on New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The other new stories include a look at the Flying Wallendas who are still going strong despite numerous deaths and an inspirational story on a pitcher who finally made his Major League debut at the age of 28.
The updated story is on two Oklahoma State tragedies ten years apart and how they could have been prevented.
We have the preview from the HBO press release which is posted below. Check it out.
Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 180th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, MARCH 20 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: March 20 (2:30 a.m.), 24 (10:30 a.m. ET, 11:30 a.m. PT, 2:15 a.m. PT), 27 (5:15 p.m., 12:10 a.m.) and 29 (12:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m.), and April 1 (9:00 a.m.) and 4 (10:00 a.m., 7:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 22 (6:00 p.m.) and 26 (8:30 a.m.), and April 3 (10:00 a.m., 9:00 p.m.), 7 (11:45 a.m.), 9 (2:00 p.m., midnight), 12 (7:00 p.m.) and 15 (3:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: March 26-April 16
Segments include:
*King Henrik. The New York Rangers are currently battling for the best record in the National Hockey League, led by All-Star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The 30-year-old Swede leads the league in shutouts and has already topped 30 wins this season, becoming the first NHL goalie to exceed that total in each of his first seven seasons. But there is more than meets the eye with Lundqvist. He frequently appears on “best dressed” lists, plays guitar in a band that also includes tennis legend John McEnroe and participates in a variety of philanthropic efforts in the New York City area. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel sits down with the charismatic goalie, who captured gold with the Swedish national team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, as he tries to lead the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1994.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*The Flying Wallendas. While there are many famous families in the circus business, probably none are more notable than the Flying Wallendas. Since the early 1900s, this large extended family has been well-known for performing high-wire acts without a safety net, resulting in numerous deaths and debilitating injuries over the course of seven generations. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford sits down with members of the Wallenda family to find out what drives them to risk their lives and what keeps the family tradition going strong.
Producer: Tim Walker.
*Wonder Arm. While only eight to ten percent of Minor League Baseball players ultimately make a Major League roster, Steve Delabar, currently in camp with the Seattle Mariners in Arizona, defied the odds after a lengthy stint as a career minor leaguer. For six seasons, the six-foot, five-inch right-handed relief pitcher never went beyond Single-A advanced ball. Then, after suffering a seemingly career-ending elbow injury in 2009, Delabar left the game and headed back to the classroom to work as a substitute teacher and finish his undergraduate degree. But his passion for the game never left him, and after participating in the Velocity Program, designed by former Major League pitcher Tom House, he began throwing harder than ever before. In 2011, Delabar signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners, and by September had achieved his dream of playing in the Major Leagues. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo sits down with the 28-year-old to hear his inspiring story.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Oklahoma State Tragedies. In Jan. 2001, the Oklahoma State men’s basketball team and staff boarded two small jets and a turbo-prop plane that were to take them home following a loss to Colorado. But over Colorado, the turbo-prop plummeted 23,000 feet, crashing into a field and killing all on board, including two players, six staff members and both pilots. Ten years later, in Nov. 2011, tragedy struck Oklahoma State again when women’s basketball head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna, along with an 82-year-old pilot and his wife, were killed when their single-engine plane crashed during an Arkansas recruiting trip. REAL SPORTS’ Armen Keteyian returns to the Oklahoma State campus to see how the community is moving on from the latest tragedy and pose the same question he asked in his investigation of the first crash ten years ago: Could this disaster have been prevented?
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Zehra Mamdani and Brian Hyland.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received 22 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That is all.
Feb
21
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comment on Real Sports Focuses on Jeremy Lin
We have the transcript from tonight’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO. As expected, Bryant speaks about the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin, but he also thinks the coverage is more of a media creation and come Spring Training, no one will care about him. Agree?
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #179
AIRS TONIGHT (2/21) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT
“Finally tonight, I’m hoping you didn’t think we’d make it through the whole program this evening without mentioning Jeremy Lin. If so, I’m sorry to disappoint you, because like everyone else we’ve been enthralled by Lin’s meteoric rise and unforeseen efforts. His is the kind of story everyone can cheer.
But now that he’s met the challenges posed by such powerhouses as the Lakers and the Mavericks, I’m curious to see how Lin fares against the Yankees. That’s right, the Yankees. See amid the Jeremy Lin hoopla, it’s been easy to overlook the fact that Spring Training got underway this past weekend, as pitchers and catchers reported for duty, and here in New York over the next few weeks, that is going to pose a new and very different kind of challenge to the Lin Mystique.
As Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban suggested last week, Lin is getting a ton of attention not just because his is a great story, but also because he plays in the media capital of the world, and in this capital, Lin has had the town to himself since his run began. Which is why it’s going to be interesting to see if his exploits continue to be headlined after New Yorkers start hearing news about Joba Chamberlain’s surgically repaired right arm, A-Rod’s troubled knees and Derek Jeter’s battle with age.
Baseball may be ho-hum in some places, but this is still very much a pinstriped city. Yes, fans here love an underdog and a winner, but history suggests that nothing in sports surpasses Manhattan’s obsession with the Yankees. The Knicks, thanks to Lin, are the hot team. The New York Rangers are among the Stanley Cup favorites and the New York Giants just won the Super Bowl. But make no mistake, the Yankees are the big bully here in Manhattan and opening day is just six weeks away. The way Lin has captured the headlines; it may yet be a fair fight.”
That will do it.
Feb
17
HBO’s Real Sports Returns February 21
HBO’s Emmy Award-winning sports magazine, Real Sports, returns Tuesday with three new stories. It includes an investigation into the tragic plane crash that took the lives of everyone on board from Lokomotiv, one of the best teams in Russia’s KHL.
Real Sports also profiles a professional BASE jumper. And the rounds out its new features with a story on the man on whom the character Jerry McGuire is based, former super agent Leigh Steinberg.
The program premieres this Tuesday night at 10 ET/PT.
We have the full press release from HBO below.
Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 179th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, FEB. 21 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.
HBO On Demand availability: Feb. 27-March 19
Segments include:
*Russian Plane Crash. On Sept. 7, 2011, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, one of Russia’s premier hockey teams, boarded a Soviet-era Yak-42 jet at a Yaroslavl airport to travel to a game in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. A few moments after lift-off, the chartered aircraft crashed about 500 yards from the runway, instantly killing 43 of the 45 passengers, including several NHL veterans. The model of the aircraft carrying the team had a long history of problems, while the airline currently has one of the worst air safety records in the world. However, Russian air safety officials confirmed that the crash was caused by basic human error during takeoff. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Yaroslavl to delve further into what happened that tragic September afternoon.
Producer: Joe Perskie.*Jeb Corliss. The top competitor in an activity fraught with danger, 35-year-old Jeb Corliss is a professional BASE jumper, skydiver and wingsuiter. At age 18, he found comfort in what most would deem uncomfortable – jumping out of airplanes – and has since jumped off some of the world’s highest structures, including Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Seattle’s Space Needle and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2006, he was arrested for attempting to BASE jump from New York’s Empire State Building. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel goes behind the scenes with Corliss as he attempts a jump in Cape Town, South Africa and captures his nearly fatal crash on film.
Producer: Tim Walker.*Leigh Steinberg. Once the most powerful sports agent in the world, Leigh Steinberg built an empire by making NFL players and himself extremely wealthy. The 62-year-old lawyer was the agent for a host of stars, including Troy Aikman, Steve Young and Drew Bledsoe, and even branched out into boxing, representing Oscar de la Hoya and Lennox Lewis. Now Steinberg is living with a roommate in an apartment in Southern California, fighting an addiction that he says cost him everything. REAL SPORTS correspondent Armen Keteyian presents a no-holds-barred look at the former NFL super agent and his fall from glory.
Producer: Chapman Downes.REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received 22 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for its series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s going to do it.
Jan
24
Real Sports’ New Season Premieres Tonight
The first new edition of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel premieres tonight on HBO. The critically acclaimed sports newsmagazine will have three new stories and an update from 2009. As usual, Real Sports has a very interesting lineup and we have it for you below.
EXAMINES THE USE OF TORADOL IN THE NFL; PROFILES BASKETBALL’S VAN GUNDY BROTHERS; VISITS A REMARKABLE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM THAT NEVER PUNTS; AND RECONNECTS WITH SUPER BOWL NO-SHOW BARRET ROBBINS WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JAN. 24, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBOEntering its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 178th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JAN. 24 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.
HBO On Demand availability: Jan. 30-Feb. 20
Segments include:
*Toradol in the NFL. Real Sports investigative team looks at the largely unknown practice of NFL players being administered the controversial pain drug Toradol. For years, NFL players in every locker room across the league have lined up to get a shot of Toradol before kickoff because it is the most effective remedy to mask pain throughout the entire body unlike local numbing agents such as Novocaine. Toradol is not a narcotic, is perfectly legal and provided by team doctors. Also, it is not physically addictive and does not affect your mental state, but the long-term effects are something that have recently become a hot topic of debate. When abused, Toradol has shown to cause permanent damage to internal organs, including stomach bleeding, liver disease and kidney failure. REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer speaks with current and former players, doctors and the NFL about the issue of the use of Toradol.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
*Brothers. Over the last 15 years, the Van Gundy brothers, Stan and Jeff, have made quite a name for themselves in the NBA. Having found limited success as players, they followed their father, who coached college basketball teams, into the family business of patrolling the sidelines. Stan, 52, is currently head coach of the Orlando Magic and previously served as head coach of the Miami Heat. Jeff, who turned 50 on Jan. 19, led the New York Knicks and then the Houston Rockets for years before becoming one of the game’s top broadcasters. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Bernie Goldberg sits down with the brothers to discuss their remarkable ascent to the top of the game.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*Between the Numbers. Kevin Kelley, head football coach at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Ark., uses his own research to back up the mantra that his team should never punt, should always kick onside kicks after a score and should never return punts. If this sounds too unorthodox to be effective, Kelley’s theories have resulted in a 104-19 record since he became head coach at the high school, and statisticians have supported his theory on the relative value of punting. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel visits the 42-year-old Kelley in Little Rock as his team prepares to seek its third state title under his leadership.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Barret Robbins. On Jan. 26, 2003, one of the strangest Super Bowl controversies ever unfolded when Barret Robbins, Pro Bowl center for the Oakland Raiders, went AWOL, leaving no trace of his whereabouts two days before the biggest game of his career. For the Raiders, Robbins’ disappearance was a major distraction, but for Robbins, the episode was the beginning of a dark and tragic story that would include a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, substance abuse, numerous stints in rehab and multiple run-ins with the law. In 2009, six years after the Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Houston native sat down with HBO’s Andrea Kremer to reflect on his troubles. Now, Kremer leads REAL SPORTS cameras into the Florida State Prison where the 38-year-old former NFL star has been incarcerated on drug charges after another encounter with the law.
Producers: Zehra Mamdani, Chapman Downes.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received a total of 22 Sports Emmy Awards. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, Real Sports will receive its second duPont Award when Columbia University recognizes the show for its series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
The new season of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. That is it for this post.
Dec
21
HBO’s Real Sports Receives Prestigious duPont-Columbia Journalism Award
One of my life’s aspirations when I was reporting news for various radio stations was to receive a duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award. It’s one of the most prestigious awards for journalists and I was always riveted when the ceremony was shown on PBS back in the 1980′s. ABC’s Nightline or 60 Minutes always seemed to win an award. PBS’ old MacNeil-Lehrer Report also seemed to win its share.
Well, the 2012 winners of the Albert I. duPont-Columbia University Awards have been announced. It’s rare for sports to win, but this time, HBO’s Real Sports has been honored for Bernard Goldberg’s piece on concussions in sports. It marks the second time Real Sports has been given a duPont-Columbia Award.
Also winning awards are CBS’ 60 Minutes, NBC News, the New York Times and PBS’ NOVA series.
We have the press release from Columbia University.
2012 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award Winners Announced
Seven International Reports Honored CBS & NBC Win Awards; HBO Wins Two Awards;
The New York Times Wins for Multimedia Report on the War in AfghanistanNew York, NY, December 21, 2011—Fourteen winners of the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards were announced today by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Seven of this year’s recipients featured international reporting including stories from Al Jazeera English, CBS News, and NBC News. Four local television stations will be honored, including Detroit Public TV. HBO will be honored with two awards.
For the first time, two awards will be given for digital reporting: one to The New York Times and one to MediaStorm. In another first, a theatrically released documentary that has not been broadcast was selected for a duPont Award, “Hell and Back Again.” A finalist award will also be given to WNYC’s Radio Rookies.
“This truly dynamic group of news organizations and journalists represent the best in broadcast and digital news reporting,” said Bill Wheatley, duPont Jury chair, former executive vice president of NBC News and adjunct faculty member at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. “Journalists are using technology in new ways to effectively tell these important stories covering the news, issues and events that are critical to our society.”
Al Jazeera English will receive its first duPont silver baton for an uncompromising documentary about shortcomings in the recovery efforts in Haiti. CBS News “60 Minutes” will be honored for Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan’s harrowing report from the frontlines of the war in Afghanistan, and NBC News will be honored with Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel for their outstanding breaking news coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings. NOVA’s gripping documentary about the science and the human stories behind Japan’s devastating earthquake will receive an award. A documentary about the human cost of the war in Afghanistan by Danfung Dennis will also receive a duPont Award.
The New York Times will be honored with an award shared by two digital stories, an engaging multimedia report that chronicled a deployment of soldiers to Afghanistan, and a story that followed two badly wounded Haitian children through treatment and recovery. The second award for digital reporting will go to MediaStorm and photojournalist Walter Astrada for a haunting multimedia story about India’s lethal social customs that devalue the lives of women and girls.
Excellent local reporting will be honored from an ambitious series about energy from Detroit Public TV, to a WFAA-TV, Dallas series of investigative reports about corrupt practices at local trade schools, WSB-TV, Atlanta’s dogged investigative series about sovereign citizens and housing fraud, and WTVF-TV, Nashville’s relentless look at state agencies’ abuse of the law for profit.
HBO will receive two duPont Awards; HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel for breaking new ground on the issue of concussions and sports, and HBO Documentary for a riveting historical documentary about the 1911 Triangle Fire. Other awards include WNYC Radio for an investigative series about the NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policy, and WNYC’s Radio Rookies will be a finalist for an unflinching series of self-portraits by young people.
Scott Pelley, CBS News anchor and managing editor, and Michele Norris from NPR will host the duPont Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 19, 2012, at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library. Pelley made a video announcement about the winners that can be seen here.
The 14 winning programs and finalist program appeared on air, online or in theaters between June 30, 2010 and July 1, 2011. The duPont Awards annual screening process is rigorous. Two groups of screeners made up of past winners, media professionals and educators, a total of over 100 people, screened the entries before the winners were selected by the duPont Jury in late October.
The duPont Jury looks for accurate and fair reporting about important issues that are powerfully told. Breaking news coverage, reporting with innovative storytelling and content, and stories that have made an impact in the public interest are also paramount. Learn more about the Jury and the selection process here.
The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards will celebrate their 70th Anniversary in 2012. The awards honor excellence in broadcast and digital journalism and were established in 1942 by Jessie Ball duPont in memory of her husband, Alfred I. duPont. The awards are generously supported by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.
Learn more about the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast and digital journalism at www.journalism.columbia.edu/dupont.
Congratulations to all of the winners. HBO’s first duPont-Columbia Award came in 2004 for a report on young boys being forced to work as camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates.
Nov
22
On The Next HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
The next Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel airs on Tuesday, November 22 and will be the last new edition before next month’s Year in Review program.
Here’s the press release.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 176th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, NOV. 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Nov. 22 (2:40 a.m.), 23 (11:00 a.m., 6:00 p.m., 2:55 a.m.), 26 (11:00 a.m.) and 29 (1:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), and Dec. 4 (8:00 a.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m.) and 9 (8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Nov. 24 (4:50 a.m.), 27 (6:10 a.m.) and 30 (6:05 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), and Dec. 3 (6:30 p.m.), 7 (8:00 a.m., midnight) and 13 (2:00 p.m., 10:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: Nov.28-Dec. 19
Segments include:
*Bob Hewitt. Every day the care and instruction of children are entrusted to athletic coaches, but sometimes that trust is painfully compromised. Earlier this year, the Boston Globe conducted a six-month investigation that disclosed allegations of sexual abuse by several adult women against Tennis Hall of Famer Bob Hewitt, who won all four Grand Slam titles in both doubles and mixed doubles in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The allegations against him, which reach back to the ‘70s, contend that Hewitt harassed and sexually abused girls as young as ten years old. Although no formal charges were brought against the 71-year-old Australian, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 1992, has formed a committee to review the allegations. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo, who competed in the 1977 U.S. Open at Forest Hills when Hewitt captured the doubles title, travels to Hewitt’s home in South Africa and investigates the truth behind his controversial past.
Producer: Joe Perskie.
*Brad Stevens. In 2007, Brad Stevens became the head coach of men’s basketball at Butler University, located just 30 minutes north of his hometown of Zionsville, marking a changing of the guard in Indiana basketball. Now entering his fifth season, the fresh-faced Stevens has raised more than a few eyebrows by leading Butler to four consecutive NCAA tournaments and back-to-back national championship games. After losing the title game in 2010 and 2011, the 35-year-old coach is confident that his mid-major Horizon League team remains a force to be reckoned with. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel travels to Indianapolis to meet the charismatic Stevens as he prepares for another run at the NCAA championship with his underdog Bulldogs.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Marcus Dixon. In fall 2003, Marcus Dixon expected to split his time at Vanderbilt University between football games and the classroom. Instead, the first time REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel visited the 6’4” defensive lineman, he was in a Georgia penitentiary. Dixon was a senior in high school when he was accused by a sophomore classmate of rape. The case went to trial, and despite the fact that the jury determined that the sex had been consensual, Dixon was convicted of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation – the first time Georgia’s Child Protection Act had been applied in this way – and was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Following the initial REAL SPORTS report, the Supreme Court of Georgia overturned Dixon’s conviction on appeal, and he was released from prison the same day. He subsequently excelled at Hampton University, signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2008, and in 2010, signed with the New York Jets, where he is currently in the rotation on the defensive line. Bryant Gumbel reconnects with the 27-year-old Dixon, who has thrived since his release from prison.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Joe Perskie.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. In May, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for Aug. 2010’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys® in 16 years.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s it.
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